Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Colorado second season

CPW announced some units would have their season shortened on May 23

https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/News-Release-Details.aspx?NewsID=3826

Second season in the books for me. Passed on a small muley early. Lots of does and a couple dandy bucks too late in the day to pursue. Had a big time with my oldest friend.

We agreed that we both had the "Sunday" just didn't get the cherry on top. No kill but a great hunt anyway.

Found a bachelor group of 4 legal bulls on Wednesday. Put them to bed Wednesday night, and they were exactly where I wanted them to be Thursday.

First light on Thursday I had the second biggest one feeding broadside at 350 yards. With all the time in the world to set up for the shot, I waited for him to step into an opening in the brush.

At the shot, he crashed off out of sight.

I ate breakfast and worked up to the point of impact.

Nice big blood trail.

Found him 80 yards later.

Passenger side is a nice clean 6. Driver's side is a non-typical club type growth.

For those that care about such things, the rifle is a 1957 Winchester 70 in 30-06. 180 grain SST handloads. Complete chest pass through. Exit was the size of a nickel.

congrats, cool antler configuration.

Two of my brothers were out for 2nd elk season and the first time ever they both went home with tag soup on the menu.

The 7 hunters in our crew killed 2 bulls and 2 cow elk. No deer, only 2 had deer licenses anyway. About half of our success in past couple of years. But we’ve had similar results in non-winter kill years, too. Meat processor in town said intake was way down in second season.

Well done T!

It looks like the elk were in the scrub - true?

We've consistently found them in the cliffy, brushy, nastiest place to hunt.

We keep going back!

Awesome stuff fellas!

T-Bone, congrats on the bull!

Spent the last weekend in the Douglas pass area, units 21 and 30. (Oil Spring Mt, Texas Mt, Rabbit Mt, Brushy Point, East Douglas Creek, Pike Ridge, Scare Mt, Lookout Mt, South Canyon) Quite a few deer in 21 and a total of 19 elk in two days, (that's including what was seen in one camp and the back of one pickup).

Lots of glassing oak and service brush slopes, rocky canyons and draws, Pinyon/juniper ridges and north facing timbered slopes.

My son in law had the bull tag. He purchased the tag at the behest of his step-brother-in-law (another story). The first weekend of 2nd season saw a little weather here in western Colorado and they hunted the McKenzie Butte area south of Montrose. But as you may or may not know, weather often doesn't mean anything to elk. Hunting pressure gets them moving and the opening day push drives them to the private and land locked BLM or to places you'd never dream of finding them.

There's always next year I suppose, at least now I know where I'm putting in for deer.

Good job, congratulations.